WWE 2K15

Review

Back in the ring

Stepping back into the ring

It has been a long time coming, a decent WWE game on the PC. The sudden announcement of WWE 2K15 coming to PC had me as excited as a Hulk Hogan fan at Madison Square Garden that time he defeated the Iron Sheik. At last, I would join in the fun of leaping off turnbuckles and performing signature moves of some of the sport's biggest stars that console gamers have enjoyed for so long.

Ok, so I knew I could play as John Cena or as any other of the multitude of WWE stars, but I decided to start in the MyCareer mode. After initially spending what seemed like hours customising my own wrestling superstar, I was taken to a basic tutorial-like introduction. The introduction gave an all too basic run-down of the control principles which I completed still not being completely sure of what to do so I went in search of the manual. Bingo! There it was, sitting right there in the options menu - Gameplay Manuals - surely that's it. Ehm. No. The button linked to a WWE 2K with instructions for all for consoles and nothing for PC. Left to my own devices, I learned on the fly. Learning the controls shouldn't be that hard, even for a console port.

My first foray into the game was disheartening but once I learned what each button did, WWE 2K15 turned out to be quite fun. Most bouts start out with a rock/paper/scissors type grappling match, giving one of the combatants a slight head start before the action heats up. When it does, things can be somewhat slow-motion at times. Combatants punch, kick and perform Irish Whips building up momentum. Once a wrestler reaches 100% momentum, he can perform a signature move. In MyCareer, there are dozens of signature moves to take as your own and performing is infinitely rewarding. Drawing the short end of the stick, if you do happen to get pinned by an opponent, pulling out of the pin comes down to timing. You need to stop a moving bar in a specified target range which becomes smaller and moves faster as your wrestler gets more fatigued.

Performance

Performing well in the early bouts grants the two currencies in the game, Superstar Points (SP) and Virtual Currency (VC), and will eventually grant a shot at the NXT title. Once you own the title, becoming a WWE superstar is only a number of title-defence bouts away. Superstar Points gained through fights can be spent on improving your wrestler's attributes. Everything from arm strength to durability, to grappling and stamina. Certain attributes seem more useful than others, but that would ultimately depend on your wrestling style.

There are heaps of game modes to keep wrestling fans happy. Apart from the pick-up-and-play one on one games, there is Triple Threat, 4-man battles, 6-man battles and Royal Rumble. Fans can also take part in full tournaments and even Title matches. Playing with your favourite characters and against those you despise can definitely be a lot of fun.